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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
This book gives you exactly what you'd expect from the back of the book. It's a cyberpunk action thriller. The protagonist, Riko, wakes up with time missing and has to unravel the mystery of what's happened to her.
It's gritty, it's vulgar all the time. And it's extremely fun. Riko is fleshed out very well. She's a walking, talking mess of contradictions and her humanity shines through brilliantly in a world filled with high-tech cybernetics, nano machines, and augmented reality. She gets beat down, she reacts believably, sometimes shedding her rough exterior when warranted and her internal monologue always satisfied me and never de-protagonized her.
There's some very human moments that come to mind easily, while always maintaining that she's come from the streets and worked her way up for her street cred. The fiction has great pacing and shifts between these moments and some great action sequences seamlessly and leaves some questions open for the next book. This felt like a great blend of 80s cyberpunk made relevant again with both updated tech but also a female protagonist. It could easily make a great action movie (with Angelina kicking ass).
I need to reiterate it's pretty great having a believable, conflicted bad ass woman that's depicted really well in cyberpunk fiction. It's sometimes hard to come by and It's a small thing that makes a lot of impact on the fiction.
I also loved that she was bi-sexual, but in the way that clearly wasn't there just because men find it hot. There's no obligatory woman on woman action that comes with the tag sometimes, and her thoughts about what she likes in people always originate outward from physical appearance. It really does make a huge difference for the story for me.
It's gritty, it's vulgar all the time. And it's extremely fun. Riko is fleshed out very well. She's a walking, talking mess of contradictions and her humanity shines through brilliantly in a world filled with high-tech cybernetics, nano machines, and augmented reality. She gets beat down, she reacts believably, sometimes shedding her rough exterior when warranted and her internal monologue always satisfied me and never de-protagonized her.
There's some very human moments that come to mind easily, while always maintaining that she's come from the streets and worked her way up for her street cred. The fiction has great pacing and shifts between these moments and some great action sequences seamlessly and leaves some questions open for the next book. This felt like a great blend of 80s cyberpunk made relevant again with both updated tech but also a female protagonist. It could easily make a great action movie (with Angelina kicking ass).
I need to reiterate it's pretty great having a believable, conflicted bad ass woman that's depicted really well in cyberpunk fiction. It's sometimes hard to come by and It's a small thing that makes a lot of impact on the fiction.
I also loved that she was bi-sexual, but in the way that clearly wasn't there just because men find it hot. There's no obligatory woman on woman action that comes with the tag sometimes, and her thoughts about what she likes in people always originate outward from physical appearance. It really does make a huge difference for the story for me.
Necrotech is one of those titles that left me feeling particularly divisive. K.C. Alexander included a great number of things that I enjoyed, but there were also just enough missteps to disappoint.
Perhaps my greatest problem with this book was going into it without the explicit understanding that this is the first book in a series with an overarching plot line. Alexander presents a story where the lead character, Riko, is on a mission to discover what happened to her and her girlfriend during a period of several months that she cannot recall. In the book's opening moments, Riko wakes up in a lab in time to discover her cybernetically augmented girlfriend going haywire and turning into a savage monster on a bloody tear. The mystery behind what these two women are doing in this lab, and why they were even there in the first place, becomes the crux of Riko's motivation. Unfortunately, by the time we reach the end of the book's 400+ pages there's been zero resolution. Riko does get moved into a new and interesting place, which is a plus, but the story itself lacks any sense of closure. The characters, and readers, are left in largely the same place they found themselves at the outset, with the central mystery unresolved. We had some neat developments and a few interesting scenarios along the way, but the trip itself ultimately felt largely pointless and this left me disappointed.
On the bright side, Riko is a cool heroine, and I have a soft-spot for foul-mouthed, temperamental, tough women. Riko is a particular type of mercenary known as a splatter specialist, and with her gruff, violent, no-prisoners attitude, and big bionic arm heroines don't get much tougher.
Necrotech is a violent book, with nearly non-stop action. At a certain point, though, the action does get to be a bit too much and a bit too tedious. Alexander doesn't slow down enough to really allow her character much in the way of introspection or growth, although there are some nice moments between Riko and the other characters. Her flirtatious side carries a definite charm, which made virtually any scene between her and a corporate secretary named Hope fun and engaging. I could have gone for a few more of those moments, and Riko becomes much more interesting when she's placed in situations far removed from her usual elements.
Make no mistake, Riko's usual elements are gritty and violent. Alexander does a great job building the world her characters inhabit, and I liked the concept of 'necrotech,' a computer virus that hijacks people's implants and turns them into the cyberpunk equivalent of a zombie, quite a lot. It's a scary, gruesome, and highly intriguing idea, and one that I look forward to seeing the author develop in future books.
While Necrotech was not the stand-alone title I was hoping for, and leaves far too many plot threads dangling and unresolved to placate me, I am still invested enough in this world, and in K.C. Alexander as a storyteller, to see what comes up next.
[Note: I received an advanced review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley.]
Perhaps my greatest problem with this book was going into it without the explicit understanding that this is the first book in a series with an overarching plot line. Alexander presents a story where the lead character, Riko, is on a mission to discover what happened to her and her girlfriend during a period of several months that she cannot recall. In the book's opening moments, Riko wakes up in a lab in time to discover her cybernetically augmented girlfriend going haywire and turning into a savage monster on a bloody tear. The mystery behind what these two women are doing in this lab, and why they were even there in the first place, becomes the crux of Riko's motivation. Unfortunately, by the time we reach the end of the book's 400+ pages there's been zero resolution. Riko does get moved into a new and interesting place, which is a plus, but the story itself lacks any sense of closure. The characters, and readers, are left in largely the same place they found themselves at the outset, with the central mystery unresolved. We had some neat developments and a few interesting scenarios along the way, but the trip itself ultimately felt largely pointless and this left me disappointed.
On the bright side, Riko is a cool heroine, and I have a soft-spot for foul-mouthed, temperamental, tough women. Riko is a particular type of mercenary known as a splatter specialist, and with her gruff, violent, no-prisoners attitude, and big bionic arm heroines don't get much tougher.
Necrotech is a violent book, with nearly non-stop action. At a certain point, though, the action does get to be a bit too much and a bit too tedious. Alexander doesn't slow down enough to really allow her character much in the way of introspection or growth, although there are some nice moments between Riko and the other characters. Her flirtatious side carries a definite charm, which made virtually any scene between her and a corporate secretary named Hope fun and engaging. I could have gone for a few more of those moments, and Riko becomes much more interesting when she's placed in situations far removed from her usual elements.
Make no mistake, Riko's usual elements are gritty and violent. Alexander does a great job building the world her characters inhabit, and I liked the concept of 'necrotech,' a computer virus that hijacks people's implants and turns them into the cyberpunk equivalent of a zombie, quite a lot. It's a scary, gruesome, and highly intriguing idea, and one that I look forward to seeing the author develop in future books.
While Necrotech was not the stand-alone title I was hoping for, and leaves far too many plot threads dangling and unresolved to placate me, I am still invested enough in this world, and in K.C. Alexander as a storyteller, to see what comes up next.
[Note: I received an advanced review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley.]
Action packed and super fast paced. Set in a post-apocalyptic city that is run by mega corporations that keep track of everyone through SIN (Security Identification Number). Though some get off the grid by becoming saints who are SINless.
Riko is one unsaintlike saint who wakes up with without her memories and a lot of people to hurt to find why. She is a kickass mercenary with metaphorical balls of steel.
In this world, there is incorporated tech - tech which is incorporated into flesh. At birth, when SIN is incorporated, so is nanotech and they help with healing. If they get overloaded by either exertion or too much incorporated tech, then the tech will take over and control the body. This is called necrotech because essentially the body is dead but the tech fuels the body to kill. Therefore we get electronic powered zombies. This concept is so flipping cool and was so much fun.
This book does diversity right. Main character is bisexual and disabled (missing arm), plus the side characters are Indian, and these characters are incorporated without their traits being plot points. Really enjoyed that.
Overall, this book was epic. Cyberpunk adventure time with zombies and intrigue. I'm hooked.
NECROTECH SUMMARY (TO READ BEFORE SEQUEL)
Nanji ыЂы RikoыЂыs girlfriend, died straight away from becoming Necrotech
Greg Keith ыЂы detective, RikoыЂыs ex lover
Indigo ыЂы RikoыЂыs older brother
Malik Reed ыЂы backer for the Vid Zone run, works for Mantis Industries
Lucky ыЂы RikoыЂыs mentor and tech person (her doctor)
Hooker, & Carter ыЂы died on Vid Zone run
Shiva ыЂы works/runs at Mecca where Indigo and his team hang out
Fuck It Jim ыЂы bit of a weasel, had information about what happened to Riko but she killed him before she could find out what it was, MetaCore was on his (or herыЂыs) ass
MetaCore ыЂы One of the big corporations
Orchard ыЂы doctor at MalikыЂыs offices
Hope Ramsay ыЂы assistant at MalikыЂыs offices
Necrotech ыЂы essentially tech-fuelled zombies, brought about my tech overpowering flesh
Riko wakes on a slab, naked and a wicked hangover, devoid of memory. There is information that uses her real name (Risa Cole) that says she died. She gets up despite Nanoshock (overworking nanos, somewhat comparable to hunger) and has to fight off heavily armoured peeps. Sees Nanji, who has a chrome spinal replacement for some reason, turn into Necrotech. Riko escapes but goes blank and is picked up by the police.
After leaving the precinct, she gets some sleep before trying to figure out what happened to her. When she goes to see Indigo and his gang tries to kill her, she realises that her memory loss goes beyond one day to three months, and her team thinks she sold out Nanji and thatыЂыs why sheыЂыs dead. Riko wants to find out what happened to clear her name and restore her cred, so she wants to set up a run to where she woke up, but she needs a team and backing, so Indigo sends her Malik Reed.
When she arrives at the club she is supposed to meet him, four enforcers attack her before she can speak to Reed. He wants evidence before he funds a run.
She goes to Lucky to get checked and fixed up. He tells her after heыЂыs fixed her up that she canыЂыt stay because her cred is in the shitter and he canыЂыt have her bring his down by association. Jax shows up and gives her a lead to Fuck It Jim about information. She owes him a favour now.
She goes to Fuck It Jim who seems scared of more than her. He tells her about a deal but not enough info. Riko kinda loses here shit and kills him. Right before a helicopter drops some MetaCore enforcers into his apartment. She flees with a tablet full of information that will show that there is reason to go on the run.
Malik agrees that this is enough info to fund the run and it is set up. Riko must undergo a medical exam, in which she freaks out and the doc, Orchard, thinks she reacted as part of PTSD, but since Riko canЃEЂЃEt remember what caused it all.
They go on the run to Vid Zone, where there was a lab set up and members of IndigoЃEЂЃEs team had been sold there for unknown purposes. They are blindsided by more necrotech than expected as well as MetaCore enforcers. Members of the team
Riko is one unsaintlike saint who wakes up with without her memories and a lot of people to hurt to find why. She is a kickass mercenary with metaphorical balls of steel.
In this world, there is incorporated tech - tech which is incorporated into flesh. At birth, when SIN is incorporated, so is nanotech and they help with healing. If they get overloaded by either exertion or too much incorporated tech, then the tech will take over and control the body. This is called necrotech because essentially the body is dead but the tech fuels the body to kill. Therefore we get electronic powered zombies. This concept is so flipping cool and was so much fun.
This book does diversity right. Main character is bisexual and disabled (missing arm), plus the side characters are Indian, and these characters are incorporated without their traits being plot points. Really enjoyed that.
Overall, this book was epic. Cyberpunk adventure time with zombies and intrigue. I'm hooked.
NECROTECH SUMMARY (TO READ BEFORE SEQUEL)
Spoiler
Riko ыЂы Main Character, SINless (Saint), Splatter Specialist (Merc), Memory loss and PTSD from unknown source, Mind sends word Eradicate to her (possible weaponisation of Necrotech in her brain?)Nanji ыЂы RikoыЂыs girlfriend, died straight away from becoming Necrotech
Greg Keith ыЂы detective, RikoыЂыs ex lover
Indigo ыЂы RikoыЂыs older brother
Malik Reed ыЂы backer for the Vid Zone run, works for Mantis Industries
Lucky ыЂы RikoыЂыs mentor and tech person (her doctor)
Hooker, & Carter ыЂы died on Vid Zone run
Shiva ыЂы works/runs at Mecca where Indigo and his team hang out
Fuck It Jim ыЂы bit of a weasel, had information about what happened to Riko but she killed him before she could find out what it was, MetaCore was on his (or herыЂыs) ass
MetaCore ыЂы One of the big corporations
Orchard ыЂы doctor at MalikыЂыs offices
Hope Ramsay ыЂы assistant at MalikыЂыs offices
Necrotech ыЂы essentially tech-fuelled zombies, brought about my tech overpowering flesh
Riko wakes on a slab, naked and a wicked hangover, devoid of memory. There is information that uses her real name (Risa Cole) that says she died. She gets up despite Nanoshock (overworking nanos, somewhat comparable to hunger) and has to fight off heavily armoured peeps. Sees Nanji, who has a chrome spinal replacement for some reason, turn into Necrotech. Riko escapes but goes blank and is picked up by the police.
After leaving the precinct, she gets some sleep before trying to figure out what happened to her. When she goes to see Indigo and his gang tries to kill her, she realises that her memory loss goes beyond one day to three months, and her team thinks she sold out Nanji and thatыЂыs why sheыЂыs dead. Riko wants to find out what happened to clear her name and restore her cred, so she wants to set up a run to where she woke up, but she needs a team and backing, so Indigo sends her Malik Reed.
When she arrives at the club she is supposed to meet him, four enforcers attack her before she can speak to Reed. He wants evidence before he funds a run.
She goes to Lucky to get checked and fixed up. He tells her after heыЂыs fixed her up that she canыЂыt stay because her cred is in the shitter and he canыЂыt have her bring his down by association. Jax shows up and gives her a lead to Fuck It Jim about information. She owes him a favour now.
She goes to Fuck It Jim who seems scared of more than her. He tells her about a deal but not enough info. Riko kinda loses here shit and kills him. Right before a helicopter drops some MetaCore enforcers into his apartment. She flees with a tablet full of information that will show that there is reason to go on the run.
Malik agrees that this is enough info to fund the run and it is set up. Riko must undergo a medical exam, in which she freaks out and the doc, Orchard, thinks she reacted as part of PTSD, but since Riko canЃEЂЃEt remember what caused it all.
They go on the run to Vid Zone, where there was a lab set up and members of IndigoЃEЂЃEs team had been sold there for unknown purposes. They are blindsided by more necrotech than expected as well as MetaCore enforcers. Members of the team
Brutal, calculated, and violent
This is cyberpunk done right. The world is reminiscent of bleak cyberpunk of the 80s. There's nothing pretty about the world because we've screwed it all up, the corps are in control, and nothing is alright.
K C Alexander has written the best cyberpunk I've read in the past decade. In fact I had been avoiding the genre for at least five years and only picked up Necrotech on a whim. I was quite prepared to be disappointed but the let down never came. I'm completely amazed at the harshness that I feel has been absent from the genre.
If you've ever enjoyed cyberpunk then don't pass up this one.
This is cyberpunk done right. The world is reminiscent of bleak cyberpunk of the 80s. There's nothing pretty about the world because we've screwed it all up, the corps are in control, and nothing is alright.
K C Alexander has written the best cyberpunk I've read in the past decade. In fact I had been avoiding the genre for at least five years and only picked up Necrotech on a whim. I was quite prepared to be disappointed but the let down never came. I'm completely amazed at the harshness that I feel has been absent from the genre.
If you've ever enjoyed cyberpunk then don't pass up this one.
DNF at about the 50% mark.
The main character is so aggressive and combative all the time. Which is in character I suppose, but makes for a very one note story. At one point, one of the other characters tells her to just give it a rest for 5 minutes. I couldn't help but agree.
Merged review:
DNF at about the 50% mark.
The main character is so aggressive and combative all the time. Which is in character I suppose, but makes for a very one note story. At one point, one of the other characters tells her to just give it a rest for 5 minutes. I couldn't help but agree.
The main character is so aggressive and combative all the time. Which is in character I suppose, but makes for a very one note story. At one point, one of the other characters tells her to just give it a rest for 5 minutes. I couldn't help but agree.
Merged review:
DNF at about the 50% mark.
The main character is so aggressive and combative all the time. Which is in character I suppose, but makes for a very one note story. At one point, one of the other characters tells her to just give it a rest for 5 minutes. I couldn't help but agree.
adventurous
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow, this book like a sweary puffin who's got drunk on Jaegermeister then tried to take the edge off with some pills only it's not worked and gone all cyberpunky in the wrong way. Enormous angry foul mouthed fun.
Merged review:
Wow, this book like a sweary puffin who's got drunk on Jaegermeister then tried to take the edge off with some pills only it's not worked and gone all cyberpunky in the wrong way. Enormous angry foul mouthed fun.
Merged review:
Wow, this book like a sweary puffin who's got drunk on Jaegermeister then tried to take the edge off with some pills only it's not worked and gone all cyberpunky in the wrong way. Enormous angry foul mouthed fun.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Think Altered Carbon except tighter and more intimately scoped. A dash of horror. A dash of William Gibson.
Damn good read.
Damn good read.